Pneumatic tire.



H. B. GILLETTE.

PNEUMATIG TIRE.

APPLICATION FILED 0012s. 1912.

1,104,186, A Patented July21,191LIl HERBERT B. GILLETTE, 0F GRANDRAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

Specieetion of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Application led October 8, 1912. Serial No. 724,499.

2 'o all whom :it concern.'

Be it known thatI, HERBERT B. GILLETTE,

.a 'citizenof the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, county ofKent, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and -usefulImprovements in Pneumatic Tires,

of which the following is a specification. u

This invention relates to improvements 1n pneumatic tires. The mainobjects of this invention are, first, to provide an improved pneumatlct1r.e which is durable in use and not likely to be injured by puncturesor blowouts; second, to provide an improved tire element adapted as aprotector of pneumatic@ tires whlch does not materially a'ect the'tresiliency or elasticityof the tire and which at the same timeprotects the inner tube; third, to provide an improved tire elementhaving these advantages, which'may be readily applied to either new orused pneumatic tire casings and one which permits the use of lightercasings than are now commonly required.v

' Further objects, andv objects relating tostructural details, willdefinitely appear from the detailed description to follow.

I accomplish the objects of my invention by the devices and means'described in the following specification. The invention is clearlydefined and A' structure whic is a preferred embodiment of my inventionis clearly illustrated Figure I is a side elevation of a tire em bodyingthe features of my invention. Fig. II'is an enlarged cross section takenon a line corresponding to line 2 2 of Fig. I. Fig. III is an enlargeddetail longitudinal section taken on a line corresponding to the brokenline 3 3 of Fig. II, the inner or pneumatic tube being omitted.l Fig. IVis a detail section on a line corresponding to line 4 4 of Fig. III.Fig. V is a perspective view of one of the members 2. l

In the drawing similar reference char` acters refer to similarpartsthroughout the several views, and the sectional views are taken looking.in the direction of the little arrows at the ends of the section lines.

1 is shown in conventional .form for con' venience and is indicated asbeing formed of v shown in Fig. III. The members- 2 are in- My improvedprotector elementcomprises a plurality of crescent shaped or segmentalmembers 2 which are formed of rubber or other suitable resilientmaterial, preferably comparatively soft rubber, These members 2 are inpractice, about two inches long but the length may be variedconsiderably, and when arranged within .the casing, their arms extendsubstantially to the top thereof as teriorly beveled as at 3 at one endand provided wlth joint tongues `or laps-fl at the other end. The jointtongues or.laps4f` are Wedge-shaped and adaptedv to fit into the i'bevels of the adjacent members 2.

The bevels ,and joint tongues are wider or expanded toward the tops ofthe members2 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. III, the object being topermit the spreading of the tops of the members 2 when the tire passesover an obstruction without opening the -joints between them. Themembers 2 arev arranged with their ends abutting. on the fring 5 whichis preferably secured within"- 1 the' tread of the outer casing l, itbeing in effect when so secured an annular -rib therein. This ring 5isflat and dove-tailed in i cross section and is formed of resilientmaterial preferably rubber with an outer canvast E covering as shown inthe drawing. v

pointed out in the claims.

The ring is in practice, cementedto the icuter, casing, the ends of thering being 'brought together and joined by the dowels v in theaccompanying drawingmforming a 6. part of this specication, in which:

The members 2 are provided with dove- ,tailed notches 7 at their basesadapted to receive the ring 5. The members 2 are thus Asecured withinthe casing so that they canno-t shift about therein and form a continufous protector for the inner tube 8. The members 2 are placed within thecasing undercompression so that their ends are held in contact by theirown resiliency., They Amay be placed upon the supporting or articulatingring 5 either before or after placving within the casing.

While I prefer to secure the rib or articulating ring by cementing it tothe casing as the structure ismore'satisfactory in operation, theprotector 'element is of advantage for use when the ring is unsecured tothe casing. Referring to the drawing, the outer casing When the innertube is expanded, the protector members are forced `into contactwith theouter casing and form a continuous support for the inner tube- In theevent of the outer casing being punctured by a nail or the like, thepoint of the nail engagin one of the members 2, the

member will or inarily yield before being punctured. This ordinarilydeflects the nail 1 between the member and the casing, or the` memberyields suiiiciently before being punctured to prevent the nail reachingthe inner tube. In the event of the nail'puncturing the outer casing andengaging between apair of the members, the nail is ordinarily deflectedby the yielding of the members and the joint lap or tongue before itreaches the inner tube and is embeddedv in one or the other of themembers.

In the event of cuts or the like or openings in the outer casing, themembers 2 effectively bridge the opening and prevent the inner tubeblowing out therethrough. The outer casing is also protected by themembers 2 as itis known that in the event of punctures of the outercasing, the break forined'by the puncture on the inner side of thecasing is thef'starting point for wear between the inner tube and thecasing and the casing is frequently weakened by this wear so thatblowouts occur.

The protector element effectively relieves the strain on the outercasing so that if desired, thinner outer casings may be used which is ofvery great advantage as the cost of an outer casing depends quitelargely on the number of plies therein. A further advantage of mystructure is that it supports the outer casing to a considerable degreeso that it is lnot so likely to be injured when deflated.

I have not attempted to illustrate or describe various modificationswhich I contemplate as such modifications will be understood by thoseskilled in the art to which this invention relates from the disclosuremade.

In a companion application, iled June 7, 1912, Ser. No. 702,147, I showanother embodiment of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a tire, the combination with an outer casing and a pneumatic tube,of a protector element interposed between the casing and tube comprisinga ring secured within the tread portion of said casing, saidV ring beinglat and dovetailed in cross sec tion, and crescent shaped members ofresilient material having dove-tailed notches in their bases engagingsaid ring, said members being arranged cn said ring with their ends4abutting and being interiorly beveled at one end and provided withcorresponding ricerca wedge-shapedy joint tongues at the other end ttingthe bevels of adjacent members, the said bevels and joint tongues beingeirpanded upwardly from the bases otsaid members.

2. In a tire, the combination with an outer casing and a pneumatic tube,of a protector element interposed between the ca sing and tubecomprising` a ring secured .within the tread portion 'of said casing,said ring being flat and dove-tailed in cross section, and

crescent shaped members of resilient mate- 4. A tire comprising an outercasing pro-v vided with an internal annular dove-tailed rib; crescentshaped members of resilient` material having dove-tailed notches intheir Abases engaging said rib, and a pneumatic tube arranged withinsaid members.

5. An element for pneumatic tires comprising a ring, and crescent shapedmembers of rubber having notches intheir bases engaging said ring,ranged on said ring with their ends abutting and being interiorlybeveled at one end and having corresponding joint tongues at ,the otherfitting the bevels of the adjacent members, said bevels and jointmembers lbeing expanded upwardly from the bases of said members.

6. An element for pneumatic tires comprising a ringl and crescent shapedmembers of flexible soft rubber having notches i'n j their basesengaging said ring whereby they are independently supported thereon,said members. being provided with joint laps to permit movement of themembers relative to cach other. Y

.In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal in thepresence of two witnesses.

HERBERT B. GILLETTE. [Ls] Witnesses: l

FRANC-is A. STAGE, GRACE'L. SENNA.

Copies othis patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the"Commissioner of retentit,

Washington, D. C.

said members being ar=

